The present invention relates to apparatus for installation of blind rivets and other fasteners, and more particularly to apparatus for presenting fasteners in a desired orientation and position for insertion into fastener application tools or machines.
In the design of efficient fastener application systems, it is desirable to automatically present the fastener to the fastener application tool or machine in a predetermined disposition. For example, blind fasteners of a rivet-mandrel type are adapted to be secured to workpieces and comprise a hollow rivet with a flange at one end and a headed mandrel having a stem extending through the barrel of the rivet. Upon inserting of the barrel of the rivet into a workpiece opening, the mandrel stem is grasped by a setting tool and pulled so that the mandrel head upsets the rivet body against the unexposed surface of the workpiece. Examples of such tools are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,981,377 and 4,205,547.
There are a variety of different types of tools, both manual and powered, that are used to set pull-type blind fasteners. For industrial production, it is desirable to use a power tool that may have an air, hydraulic or electrical power assist to pull the mandrel stem. This facilitates the rivet setting operation. Such tools are normally manually loaded, that is, the mandrel stem is manually inserted in to the nose portion of the rivet setting tools. This requires the tool operator to hold the tool with one hand and select the individual blind rivets, from a bulk source, for example, with the other hand and insert the mandrel stem into the nose of the setting tool. This presents a slow and cumbersome rivet handling problem during the rivet setting operation. The invention provides a highly reliable approach to automating this operation.
Thus, for example, in the use of blind rivet fasteners, it is desirable to provide a device for automatically presenting the mandrel stem in a position for insertion in the nose of the rivet setting tool which eliminates the necessity of the operator manually inserting the mandrel stem into the setting tool during each rivet setting operation. Various approaches to this requirement are illustrated in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,415,102; 4,205,547; and 4,592,136. The automatic rivet feed device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,547 is attached to the nosepiece of the rivet installation tool, and includes a chuck for holding the rivet and a parallel crank and slider mechanism for moving the chuck into alignment with the receiving mechanism of the tool.
Devices for feeding different types of fasteners are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,832,458; 3,276,625; 3,494,014; 3,535,764 and 3,658,207.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a rivet loading device of simple construction which is capable of reliably, rapidly receiving a rivet from a supply and inserting the rivet into the nosepiece of an installation tool. Another object is to provide a versatile rivet presentation scheme which may be adapted both to lightweight hand-held installation tools and sturdier, automated installation machines. Desirably, such device should be capable of efficiently rejecting unsuccessfully inserted rivets.